I absolutely agree, you sophisticated Europeans should not be subjected to such barbarity.

Umm, unless it happens right next door.

"Trial opens into alleged gang kidnap, torture and murder of French Jew"Ilan Halimi, 23, was found naked with his head shaved, in handcuffs and covered with burn marks and stab wounds near rail tracks outside Paris in February 2006. In a state of shock and unable to speak, he died en route to hospital. He had been held, tortured and beaten for three weeks, his head wrapped in tape, eyes Sellotaped shut and fed through a straw....http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/29/torture-murder-anti-semitism-trial-france

Merowinger, this is how life's dark sides look like in countries that are not free and liberal.It isn't surprising, it is certainly not uncommon in many countries and I cannot realistically care about all cases, so why should I care especially much about the exception that gets publicity?

The relevance to me is in its possible tipping point character for Arab societies.

I not only didn't write anything about "sophisticated" or us to be subjected to barbarity or not.You should really learn enough logic to at least get your strawman arguments right.

The difference between a violent gang crime and torture by state carrying authorities should be obvious to anyone.Especially as the one example is an anecdote while the other is special only because a rather normal abuse was taped and published.